N ational R esearch and E ducation N etwork
(NREN). In December 1991, the U.S. Congress passed the High Performance Computing and Communications Program. This will expand international networking to thousands of times its present capacities and uses. Although intended primarily for research and education, the NREN will carry commercial traffic in research and education in addition to the types of noncommercial traffic carried presently on the Internet. The NSFNet is now referred to as the "Interim NREN. (See also Internet )